We're nothing but Demolition Lovers
by la vampire susan
Summary: I'm just a high school guy, 18, a senior. I'm just a normal vampire. I live a boring life until i met the girl who smelled worse than death..." Rated T just in case of cursing. NO LEMONS!
1. Chapter 1

High school was not a new concept to me; I had been in it for over fifty years. Every few years, my "family" and I would move somewhere else, only to start again. If my life was a CD player, the repeat button was stuck, and wouldn't be getting fixed any time soon.

To put it simply, I was an 18 year old boy, a senior in high school, and had only two friends. It was that way to those who only looked at me. Truly, I was a sixty-eight year old man, stuck in the immortal body of an 18 year old boy.

I was a vampire.

Today was Wednesday, nothing special about it, just another day of school. I lay on my bed, petting my dog, when she got up and ran away. I frowned at the retreating dachshund and sighed; something must be more interesting than sleep, at least for her. My dog was a mini dachshund with long hair. We called her Puddin. She barked at me and I got up and followed her to the bottom of the stairs.

Slowly, I descended the stairs, following Puddin to the door. I raised an eyebrow as she scratched at the bottom of the door and looked back at me. She wanted to go out I picked her up and brought her to the backyard, letting her run free.

Our house was small, but quaint and private. Three floors; basement, first, and second floor, with a fenced in backyard for the dog. We were a vegetarian family, having only been brought up that way and always wanting to stay it. Robert however, had trouble in the beginning. He couldn't resist the smell of human blood, but he never hurt anyone.

I let the dog back in and she ran upstairs, probably to sleep in my bed. I had bought her about two years ago as a puppy. I needed someone to keep me company, even if they couldn't respond to my questions and statements.

"Morning, sunshine." Robert said as he walked down the stairs and towards the basement door. Robert was the youngest of us (we called him Rob or Bob…sometimes Bobby to annoy him). He was passing as 16 and a junior. Truly, he was only twenty or so years old. Teri also "made" Robert after he had gotten into a car accident with a drunk driver. He was crossing the street by his house when he got hit and broke his neck. She felt bad for him, but also knew he should be changed.

Teri was the oldest of us, pretending to be twenty-five. Really, she was at least ninety years old. She held a job in our school as a receptionist, making her able to transfer and alter our records when ever she felt like it. She was the one who made me into what I am, although I'm not sure how she was made.

Robert didn't have a "power" as the rest of us did, at least that we know about. He was strong, had great hearing and seeing, and was very fast, just like us. Teri, however, can see what we call "what people truly are." She can choose to see their aura, or know their morals, their judgments, honesty, all that. That's how she knew Robert was a good kid and didn't deserve to die.

"Hey." I said and he turned around to face me. "What?"

"What's up?" he asked. "You look even more emo than usual."

"Tired." I said, out of reflex. I knew I couldn't sleep, but I was so used to blaming my depressed façade on my lack of sleep that it still hadn't gone away. "Yeah, yeah, shut up, I know I can't sleep." I said as he opened his mouth to disagree.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I said and he half-heartedly smiled.

"I'm getting some clothes from downstairs, do you want anything?" he asked.

"Sure." I said. "Uh…get my dark jeans and my _Chiodos_ shirt."

"Which dark jeans?" he teased. "The dark ones or the _dark dark_ ones?"

"Shut-up, Bobby." I teased back.

"Pshht." he laughed. "I'll be back." He descended the stairs and was back up in an instant, holding my clothes.

"Thanks." I smiled and he nodded, running up the stairs. He never liked moving at human speed, it always seemed so slow to him. I had no particular feeling towards it. In fact, I liked walking slow sometimes.

I followed up the stairs at human speed and went into my room, tossing my clothes on my bed, and walked into the bathroom. The door was locked and Robert's laughing voice came from inside.

"Come on, we only have one bathroom, Rob, can't we share again?" I asked and he unlocked the door.

"Hold on, I'm climbing into the shower." he called. "Okay!" I opened the door and went to the sink, looking at my reflection in the mirror. My pale skin made my black hair stand out along with the dark purple shadows beneath my eyes. The only color to stand out on my face was the light pink of my lips and the golden-hazel of my eyes.

I picked up a brush and pulled it through my hair, which was long for a guy, and then looked down at the toothbrushes on the sink. We didn't have to brush our teeth, but I did sometimes. It made me feel…human…normal. I picked it up and remembered what happened last time. My razor teeth had cut almost all of the bristles off of the brush, leaving a mess in the bathroom. Teri and Robert got a kick out of it, but I really didn't. After all, I was the one with the bristles in my mouth…ugh.

"Hey, you ready?" Robert asked, peaking his head out from behind the curtain. I shut my eyes and nodded, hearing him rush out of the shower and out of the bathroom. I shut the door, pulled out a new towel, and stripped. Usually, I would cover up the shadows beneath my eyes, but I was lazy and chose not to.

When I stepped into the shower, the heat hit my icy skin like bullets. It stung for a moment, but I got used to the heat after a moment. I wet my hair and washed it. I finished up in the shower and stepped out, wrapping the towel around my waist and making my way into my room.

Behind me, I saw Teri go into the bathroom and shut the door as I shut the door to my room. She smiled and I nodded to her. When the door was closed, I began to dress, sliding on my pants first. They were regular, black jeans, plain and unnoticeable. I stepped over to my mirror and combed through my hair with my fingers, something I had forgotten to do in the bathroom.

I slid on my shirt, socks, and my black converse. They were, by far, my favorite shoes. When I got out, I met Robert in the hallway. He smiled at me, his bright hazel eyes shining along with his attitude. His light, brown hair didn't make his paleness stand out as much as mine. He wore his grey shirt over his light jeans; he had no real style, just what ever he was comfortable in.

"What's today?" I asked as we walked down the stairs.

"It's Wednesday…February…20th?" he said, unsurely. "Yeah, the twentieth."

"Fun." I nodded and sat down on the couch, turning on the television in the process. He sat down next to me and sighed as I flipped channels. Finally, I settled on a station that was airing a black and white movie. After a moment, however, I recognized it as _The Grapes of Wrath_. Quickly, I continued flipping channels.

"Wait!" Robert said. "I was watching that!"

"Believe me, you don't want to." I said. "It's called _The Grapes of Wrath_."

"That sounds cool." he said and I raised an eyebrow. "Angry grapes?"

"Counting dust…hm…fun." I grinned. "Read the book. Even that will put a vampire to sleep. He tilted his head in question and I laughed. "How long until we have to leave?" I asked.

"We have about forty-five minutes." he answered and I leaned back into the couch. School…something I really wasn't looking forward to doing.

A/N: Thanks for reading the first chapter! I'll update with a second soon. Sorry it was so long! Thanks!!!

PS: the dog (Puddin) is actually my dog. She was barking at me, so I decided to put her in.

Thanks!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

"And after that?" Robert asked as I continued to give him the plot of _The Grapes of Wrath_. Oddly, he seemed very excited to hear what happens next.

"Well…the old man died, they kept driving…there was a lot of dust…and in the end…they make it to California." I said, unenthusiastically. His golden eyes lit up with excitement.

"That sounds…" he began, but was cut off by Teri.

"I'm about to leave, are you coming?" she asked as she donned her jacket; something that was merely a prop in our little charade as normal humans.

"Seeing how I've already graduated…" I began, "Nope."

"Fine." she grinned. "Then take the bus." I glared at her, mumbling curses under my breath and approached the devious red-head. Her golden eyes were warm and motherly as she teased us. As the door opened, the wind blew her dark, red hair into her face and she combed the straight, long strands behind her. "Come on, guys."

"Yeah, yeah." I groaned, but secretly laughed to myself. I loved Teri; she was such an amazing woman, and a better "mom". "Can I drive?" I asked as we walked to the car.

"Troy," she began in mock disapproval, "you're far too young to drive."

"Yeah, okay." I scoffed and climbed into the passenger seat. I could drive, honesty, I could, but it made Teri feel more like a mother. That's how I usually looked at it. She pulled out of the driveway and we began our drive to the school. I reached into my backpack and pulled out my iPod, plugging one of the red headphones into my ear. Teri looked over at me in disapproval, and I placed it back into my bag.

"Unfortunately I have a meeting today after school, so you guys can take the bus, stay at the school, or catch a ride from someone else." Teri said as she turned into the parking lot. We passed the student parking and pulled up before her assigned spot.

"Can't we just run home?" Robert asked from the backseat.

"If you start walking and there's no one around, go through the woods, but don't go anywhere except home, understand?" she asked and we both agreed in unison. We climbed out of the car and began our walk towards the school.

I stood against the wall of Robert's first class. He was so young to me; too innocent to be a monster. He sighed and leaned next to me.

"We have a while before classes start." he began. "We should do something."

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"First, I want friends." he joked. "And maybe…a life…a social life would be nice…and…a girlfriend." He hesitated on his last request.

"A girlfriend?" I asked.

"…It's a thought." he said, a little too nonchalantly.

"Who is it?" I asked and he turned away. If he could blush, I'm sure he would.

"…No one." he said. "But…you have friends."

"A friend. And he's blind." I said. "The only reason he's my friend is because he's my lab partner in Chemistry and I helped him when he dropped one of his books."

"Oh." Robert said. He looked down, defeated and I couldn't help but to feel horrible.

"Make a friend." I sighed. "But be careful. We can't afford to move."

"Thanks." he smiled as he straightened up.

"Just…don't be all…stalker-ish." I joked. "You tend to weird out people sometimes."

"So do you…dumb goth." he scolded, holding back a smile.

"Love you too, Robby." I smiled.

"Love you too, man." he said. I smiled and walked to my first class. As I reached the door, I realized that I had left my bag in Teri's car. Quickly, I ran at human speed to her car and retrieved it. It was a black messenger bag that was filled with two notebooks, and a novel.

As I passed one of the buildings, an older woman bumped into me. I backed away quickly and she looked up at me, directly in my eyes.

"Oh…um…sorry…" she stuttered. My eyes were messing her up and honestly, I found it quite funny.

"It's alright." I apologized. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…yes…um…do you know where building…4B is?" she asked as she straightened her folders out.

"Actually, it's straight ahead, you'll see it." I said and she rushed off that way. Immediately, I knew she was going to be my substitute teacher today. Slowly, I walked towards my class and went inside to my desk in the back. I leaned my head against the wall and shut my eyes, searching for Robert's voice.

"_I thought you said you didn't like using your power." he scolded. _

"_I don't, but I'm curious to know about this girl." I said. _

"_Fine." He said and sent me an image. She was about his height with long, blonde hair. She was pretty, not too thin, and seemed nice. I couldn't tell though, I would have to ask Teri. Just then, I saw her walking across a classroom, glancing over at me. Robert must have been sending me what he was seeing right then. She smiled at me, who I assumed must have been Robert, and followed her friends to the desks that were only one away from Robert. _

"_She's pretty." I said when he had finished sending me images. _

"_Pretty? She's beautiful." he said and I laughed mentally. "Crap, class is starting. Bye."_

"_Bye." I said and 'disconnected'. _

"Sullivan…Troy?" the substitute called and I opened my eyes.

"Here." I said and she acknowledged me, marking my name down on her attendance sheet. She called out a few other names and I took out my novel and began to read. Unfortunately, she handed out work before I could turn the page. It was a worksheet; simple. I finished it in a few minutes and continued reading.

The book was _Interview with the Vampire_ by Anne Rice. She was an amazing writer, and I also found the subject quite entertaining.

She dismissed the class after a while, and I walked outside onto the sidewalk. I made a point to pass by Robert, just to see how he was doing. He was nervously making his way towards that girl and I winked.

"_What do I do?" he asked me through his thoughts._

"_Want me to do something?" I asked and he nodded. I listened in to the girl's thoughts and grinned. _

"_That guy at karate last night was so adorable. Jess is right…maybe I should go for it." she thought to herself. I looked over at Robert and urged him to go forward. _

"_Pass them." I said and he obeyed._

I jogged up to my brother and punched him lightly in the arm. He laughed, punching me back, and I saw them watching from behind.

"I'm going to get you back for last night." I argued. "It's always that one uppercut that gets me."

"Hey, you're not too bad yourself, just not good enough." he teased.

"Don't push it, baby brother." I joked and walked to class. "Remember, I'll get you back." He laughed and I watched him go to his next class.

I felt bad about listening into the girl's thoughts. They were private, and always meant to be that way. I shook it off, and continued through my classes.

Lunch came and I sat down with my tray of food; something else I really didn't need. The freshman on the other half of the table all ignored me as I took out my book and continued to read. I looked up as Robert walked over to my table and sat down across from me. He was grinning ear to ear and I tilted my head.

"Guess who I'm sitting with." he grinned.

"Who?" I asked, even though I had a pretty good idea.

"Suzanne." he smiled. "Unless you don't want to be alone."

"Go sit with your friends." I smiled. "Just…be careful."

"Thanks." he smiled and walked off to meet the blonde haired girl a few tables down.

Every so often I would look up from my book to see him smiling and laughing. He was really having fun. I listened in and laughed.

"Yeah," Robert bragged, "I'm usually the winner when we fight." I cleared my throat and I knew he heard it. "But…he wins a lot too…he's really good." I smiled and he grinned at me.

A/N: thanks so much for reading this! Thanks!!! I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to update soon! Thanks! Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh man, she's so awesome!" Robert continued as we walked across the parking lot. School had finished, and his thoughts were full of nothing but that girl.

"What's her name?" I asked and he paused.

"I told you, didn't I?" he asked and I shook my head. "Her name is Suzanne."

"Nice." I smiled and he shook his head. I could tell he was proud of himself, although he was expressing it very awkwardly. Everyone in the parking lot glanced at him as he jumped along the way. However, we were speaking too fast for anyone to hear. "So when are you guys going on your first date?"

"First date?" he asked, stopping in the road. "Dude, I've got to get closer to her first. She'll never go out with the weird kid without knowing him first."

"Ah." I said. I had completely forgotten to tell him that there was someone else she was interested in. "Well…when I listened to her thoughts today, she was considering asking someone else out."

"Who?" he asked and I ushered him along.

"This guy in her karate class." I answered and he grinned.

"She does karate?" he asked.

"Don't even think about it. You'd break the teacher." We both threw our heads back and laughed. It was true; he would lose control and probably break him by accident. "Come on, let's go through the woods."

"Oh…" he hesitated as we stopped again. "She offered me a ride home."

"Really now?" I asked and he grinned. "Go."

"Seriously?"

"Go before I change my mind." I said and he ran off, thanking me in the process. I just hoped that he would be careful. I walked into the woods, slinging my bag behind me, and continued to walk. When I was out of sight from the school, I began to run at vampire speed towards our house. It had been a while since I ran; I liked human speed better.

The trees passed me in a blur, as they always did, but none of them hit me. I opened my mind to everything around me, listening in just in case someone needed me. Teri's thoughts flew through me, only consisting of her paperwork and the current conversation she was having. Robert, however, was completely enjoying himself. I decided it would be best not to listen in on him; he deserved as much privacy as anyone else.

Finally, I came to the house. I stopped at the end of the woods and continued to walk towards the front door. The door opened quietly, as it usually did, and the dog came running to greet me. I picked her up and she licked my face and curled up into my arms.

"I missed you too, Puddin." I laughed as I put her down. She barked at me a few times and ran to the back door. Slowly, I followed her, realizing that hanging out in the backyard wasn't such a bad idea. I opened the door and she ran outside, enjoying herself. I followed and sat beneath my tree.

I leaned against the bark of the tree and shut my eyes. It was so peaceful outside today. A light breeze blew across the yard, ruffling my black hair. I let time slip by as I drifted off to somewhere else, caring about nothing. It must have been hours before I "woke up" because all of the voices were running wild in my mind.

"_Where are you?"_ a particular voice asked. It sounded like Teri, and she sounded worried.

"_In the backyard."_ I answered back.

"You shouldn't scare me like that." she said out loud. I looked up at her and smiled. "Where's Robert?"

"He caught a ride home with this girl he likes." I answered and she smiled halfheartedly. I knew it disturbed her; Robert having a girlfriend, she was just worried about our safety.

"It's getting dark, come inside." she said and I stood, not realizing that the dog had climbed onto my lap. Quickly, I caught her and carried her and my bag into the house. I set her down in the living room and she jumped up onto the couch and fell back asleep. "How was school?"

"Good." I answered as I followed her upstairs. "What about that meeting? How was that?"

"Boring, as usual. I just wish they would go by as fast as we can run." she joked. She walked into her room and placed a few papers down onto the desk. "Do you think Robert's going to be okay with this new girl?"

"I think so." I answered, sitting on her bed. "He seemed really excited, but I made him promise to be careful and responsible."

"He worries me sometimes." she sighed, sitting down onto her desk chair.

"Me too." I answered. "I think it's just because he's so young." Both of us looked up simultaneously and said:

"He's home."

I laughed and ran downstairs to meet him. He dropped his backpack onto the couch and walked over to me with a huge grin on his face.

"Guess who's got a date." he asked.

"I don't know…me?" I asked and he laughed.

"Me!" he laughed, throwing his hands in the air. "Suzanne and I are going to the movies this weekend!"

"Nice." I agreed, sitting on the couch. He flopped down next to me and sighed.

"She's awesome." he sighed and I raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all she is?" I asked. "Because that's all you can call her."

"Now way, man!" he laughed. "She's got this great sense of humor because she laughs when I make a joke, and she's smart, funny, talented, and she takes karate!"

"Don't break her in half!" I joked and he punched me in the arm. "Hey!" I punched him back. Soon, we were on the floor in a wrestling match. He flipped me onto the floor, throwing light punches to my stomach. I punched him back, sending him against the couch. Quickly, I threw him down onto the floor and knelt on his back, holding one arm at an awkward angle. "I win." His only response was a growl.

"Boys!" Teri growled from the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"I'm showing baby brother why he shouldn't mess with the goth kid." I laughed and he growled in response. "Come on, I won fair and square."

"Uncle." he murmured and I sat up, pulling him up with me. I ruffled his hair and he caught my hand, but Teri stopped him before we could start fighting again.

"Boys, do I have to separate you?" she asked, gripping our hands. She was about our height, if not shorter, and we both laughed. "What? Oh, little Teri can't kick ass?" Quickly, she had us both against the wall, each hand holding us up by our shirts. I looked over at Robert and simultaneously, we pushed her down onto the floor.

All three of us were wrestling now; there were no teams, just the goal to stay dominant.

In the end, I was on top of Robert, who was on the floor. Teri has us both pinned, though. Why did the mother figure always have to win?

A/N: There you go, another chapter! Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate it so much! I'll try to update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

The past few weeks of school had been boring, for me at least. Robert was in love with his new friends, especially Suzanne. However, those new friends were still hesitant about him. We had skipped school once or twice because of the sun; even Teri had to hide. She called us in sick, claiming our absences and abundance of sunshine was because of _Photosensitivity_.

When we asked what it was, she said that it was known as an allergy to the sun. Apparently there was this hereditary disease called Porphyria (don't ask me how to say it) that made you really sensitive to sunlight. I felt bad about lying, but I'm sure they would kick us out if we said "We can't come to school because we're vampires."

I was in first hour chemistry, reading my book, when a million voices began to flood my mind. They all said mostly the same thing:

"_Who's the girl?"_

"_I hope she isn't another snobby one…"_

"_Oh God, I hope she isn't one of the pretty and stupid girls."_

Teri's voice echoed through my mind after a moment.

"_Troy, she's a good person."_

"_Thanks." _I answered and returned to my book. I just hoped that Robert didn't "fall in love" with this girl too. The teacher called the class to attention and began taking attendance after writing the assignment on the board. I pulled my book onto my desk and began the dull busywork.

The hour ended with me buried in Anne Rice's book once again. I stepped out into the hallway, pushing the rage of voices away, and continued to my second hour; English. I stepped inside and sat down in the back again. As the teacher started class, the door opened and all of the students turned their heads.

A foul stench filled the room and, unwillingly, I cringed. It smelled bitter, yet sweet; almost like the candy that starts out sour, but tastes so amazing, you have to have more. After a moment, I calmed down, getting used to the smell. I looked up from my notebook to see a girl at the front of the room. She was holding a notebook against her as the teacher signed something.

Finally, the teacher handed her the paper and pointed to the back of the room where the only desk left empty sat.

Next to me.

The smell intensified as she walked closer. She sat down next to me and opened her notebook to a blank page. She gripped a pencil in her tanned hand and began to copy down the notes on the board. I took in a deep breath, swallowing the smell again.

The venom pooled in my mouth; something that only happened when I hunted. I fought to suppress a growl and stopped breathing, temporarily relieving me of her scent. It was sickening, yet alluring all at the same time.

I'm not too sure how I managed to survive that hour, but what I do know, is that this had never happened to me before. I managed to chip the desk in a few places from the pressure on my hand along with three pencils and, if I were human, my jaw would have been broken.

When the teacher dismissed the class, I was out of the room in, what seemed like, one stride. The cool air soothed my burning throat as I finally breathed in again. I let my breaths stay even as I walked to my third hour class. Thankfully, the new girl turned the opposite way that I did.

I moved to the back of the class and sat down in my desk. Slowly, I shut my eyes and let all of the voices drift away, leaving me in partial silence. The faded voice of the teacher began to speak, pulling me out of my meditation.

"The answer, Mister Sullivan?" the teacher asked and my eyes flashed open. I listened in on the other students as they thought, hoping to find the answer.

"_Ugh…this makes no sense."_

"_2x squared…6x…7…oh I hope that's right."_

"Two-x squared, six-x, and seven I believe." I answered. _Thank you, Jason;_ I thought to myself and smiled internally.

"That's right." the teacher continued and began to explain the equation. My thoughts began to drift back to the new girl. I'd never smelled anything like her bitter-sweet scent. It was alluring, yes, but also indescribable. There was both a draw and repulsion to it.

I had heard stories about this kind of thing happening. A vampire meets a person whose blood they can't possibly resist. They lose more than their control; they lose their way of life.

Or…

This girl could have a blood disease. Maybe…but I wasn't sure. That sounded insane to me. I could resist this girl's blood, but why did it smell so strange? Why was I attracted to her scent, yet so repulsed by it?

The hour passed by as my thoughts pulled me away from my schooling. I had already completed this class before; I knew what was going on.

My forth hour was safe from this girl; however my fifth hour was not. As I was on my way to gym, she passed by me, causing a slight breeze to blow her scent into my nose. My throat only burned a little. Now, I was more curious than ravenous. It was probably just that she had taken me by surprise…

As I walked into the locker room, her scent disappeared. I changed quickly and walked out to meet the class. The coach was splitting the class in half as they entered the gym. The new girl sat on the edge of the bleachers watching as the coach split us up.

When he had finished, he counted again and sighed, turning to the new girl.

"Maria, you're properly dressed, would you mind playing today?" the coach asked and she agreed. He sent us off to the closet where the hockey sticks waited. Slowly, the teams descended onto the court and took positions. I stepped up to be a forward and sighed. If I could play with my full strength, I'd enjoy the game ten times more.

The moment the coach blew the whistle, her scent hit me. I ran forward, catching the ball, but was headed off by that girl. I remembered her name…Maria…that's what the coach called her. I side-stepped her and scored a goal.

Gym passed by slowly, as it usually did. I tried hard not to breathe, but it was a challenge. When the hour was over, I couldn't be more thankful. I had a study hall next; the time that I would spend outside, alone, in the fresh air.

As I stepped into the library to sign in, it started to rain outside (like that's not new in Forks). Sadly, I was condemned to the library. I picked up my book and continued to read when someone sat down at my table. I looked up at the unfamiliar brunette before me and tightened my jaw.

"Hi, I'm Maria." she said hesitantly. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

A/N: thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do forgive me though if its got some mistakes. It's late and I'm tired! WOoh! R&R please and I'll love you forever. BTW: I'd respond to you guys, but all of the readers I have are annon. so…thanks so much you guys! And yes…mini dachshunds rule. :)


	5. Chapter 5

"Hi, I'm Maria, do you mind if I sit here?" She asked. I looked up from my book and nodded. After a moment, I stopped breathing; I couldn't take the bitter-sweet burning in my throat. She smiled nervously and sat down.

The tanned pigments of her skin stood out from the monotonous pale that Forks was so famous for creating. Her dark brown eyes matched her chocolate hair that was pulled halfway back. She had high cheekbones that proportioned with her medium lips. I knew on first sight that she wasn't from around here.

"So," she began, attempting to break the silence, "are you a senior?"

"Junior." I answered, immediately regretting it. The moment I took a breath in to speak, her scent created a taste in my mouth that was bitter-sweet, just like her smell.

"Me too." she answered. Slowly, I took small breaths in through my mouth, getting used to the burning in my throat. The taste was unbearable. Finally, her voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "You're in my English class, aren't you?"

"Yes." I answered. "Where are you from?"

"I live on the La Push reservation." she answered.

"La Push?" I asked. "That's pretty far from here."

"I don't mind." she smiled. The hour ended and I left the library, only to enter the rain. The cool air relieved the burning in my throat, and I made my way towards lunch. I stepped inside and sat down at our empty table. Robert was sitting a few tables down with his "new" friends. He looked up at me and I glanced down at my book.

"_I know you can hear me, Troy."_ His voice echoed through my mind. I grinned slightly and he laughed audibly. _"Come over here and sit with us."_ I shook my head and leaned back on my chair. He laughed, his eyes shifting to something across the room. Suddenly, that smell hit me again.

I peered up at the door and saw that girl, Maria, come inside. She looked around shyly for an empty table, spotting an empty seat a few paces before her. As she moved towards the seat, one of the punk boys put something on it, giving her a wordless dismissal. Slowly, she walked towards my table and I looked up at Robert in horror.

I couldn't bare the temptation of her smell anymore; it was killing me. I had never experienced this kind of bloodlust before.

"_What?" Robert asked. _

"_It's that girl over there." I answered. "I can't take it." _

"_I know, what's wrong with her?" he asked. _

"_No…I can't resist it…" I cried and he stood up, excusing himself quickly from his friends._

"_Come on, we're going to Teri." _he said and I stood up, following him to the door. As the door closed, I turned to see her standing, watching me with a look of confusion and…was it hurt? We turned around and ran (at human speed) to Teri in the office.

_The moment we stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. Her voice joined the chorus in my mind and I focused in._

"_What's wrong?" she asked._

"_The new girl." I answered._

"_She's from La Push. I know she smells, but give her a chance-"_

"_No…I can't resist it." I said._

"_Are you okay?" she asked and I nodded. "Go with your brother back home."_

"_Are you sure?" I asked._

"_Go." she said. "Go hunt, your eyes are black." _

"_Thank you." I said and she smiled warmly. _I turned around to Robert and led him outside onto the sidewalk. We walked over to the woods and looked around, disappearing into it when we were sure no one was around.

"_I'm sorry." I said to Robert as we ran through the woods and back to the house._

A/N: im sorry this is short, but I'm going to try to make one where he's hunting and he goes over his morals and that stuff. Thanks so much! R&R please! Oh! and if you get a chance, check out my one shot called Mountain Lions. i dont care if you hate it or like it, just let me know what you think!!! thanks!!


	6. Chapter 6

"_I'm sorry, Robert." I thought as I stood at the edge of the woods. He was walking up the stairs towards the front door and paused to look back at me._

"_The only time you need to be sorry is when you do something wrong." he said and I closed my eyes. My eyes started to swell and, if I could, I'd probably be crying. That's about as close as I'd ever get to have the salt-water drops fall down my cheeks. "Go hunt." he said again and I nodded, running off into the woods._

I had never liked the speed I was given, but now, it gave me the sense of running away from my problems. That's the only time I could bear to run fast. Trees passed by me in a blur until I paused, searching the air for a scent. There was nothing that pulled me towards it, so I kept running.

I must have gone for hours until I stopped somewhere a few miles off the border of Canada. I paused again, smelling something. There was a pack of deer close to me who were being hunted by a grizzly bear. That's the scent that reached my throat; grizzly. I took off after it and fed.

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I lay on the wet grass, staring up at the stars as they passed. It was peaceful here, but I had to go back soon. Teri and Robert would start to worry. Honestly, it would be smarter just to stay where no one would find me. It would be safer and better for everyone, especially that girl…Maria.

Maria.

Maria.

Maria.

Her name echoed through my head tauntingly as if it were asking me why I was so weak. Why couldn't I control myself? Why couldn't I resist the one urge I've resisted for over forty years? Why was I so weak?She's from La Push, so she hangs out with wolves, but she can't be one, can she? Besides, we're supposed to hate each other…right? She smells so bad, but there's something about it that's enticing. I don't understand it!

The chorus of voices in my mind had grown smaller since I had left the populated areas, but now, one voice was breaking through. It was Teri's. I was so attuned to her; I could hear her from far distances.

"_Troy? If you can hear me, just let me know you're okay." she called._

"_I'm fine, Mom." I answered. "I'm pretty close to Canada."_

"_How are you feeling?" she asked._

"_I'm fine. I'll explain everything when I get back." I said, and shut off the chorus of voices in my mind._

Slowly, I rose from my patch of grass, and began to run through the forest. The air around here seemed more…pure. It's amazing. Miles later, I was running through the woods near my house. I slowed to a normal human pace, and emerged in my backyard. As far as I could tell, it was around three in the morning; I had been gone for two days, just lying and thinking. Emptiness echoed around me as I opened the door and stepped inside. Quietly, I climbed the stairs into my room. I could hear Robert playing a video game in the next room. He mumbled insults and laughed as he concentrated so hard, his thoughts were faded.

"_Don't concentrate too hard, bro, you might explode." I teased. _

"SHIT!" I heard him curse in surprise. _"Goddamn-it, Troy! I was winning!"_ I laughed out loud as I fell back onto my bed. I reached over to my bed stand and switched on my iPod player.

_Hand in mine, into your icy blues_

_And then I'd say to you we could take to the highway_

_With this trunk of ammunition too_

_I'd end my days with you in a hail of bullets_

It was "Demolition Lovers" by My Chemical Romance. I sighed, listening to the words to one of my favorite songs. Slowly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." I called.

"Hey hun." It was Teri. I sat up and leaned against the wall.

"Hey, Mom." I said and she smiled, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

_I'm trying, I'm trying_

_To let you know just how much you mean to me_

_And after all the things we put each other through and…_

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better." I answered. "I hunted and did some thinking."

"What happened?" she asked. "I meant at school."

"Oh…I honestly don't know." I began. "She walked in and she didn't smell like everyone else did, she smelled worse. The strange part is that it's irresistible. Her smell burns my throat, but I want it so bad. I can't resist."

"You mean that you want her blood?" she asked, slightly perplexed. I nodded sadly. "Did she do something to offend you? Is it anger, or just…her scent?"

"Her scent." I answered. "Take this for example," I began, trying to explain my scattered thoughts, "As a human, did you ever eat something that tasted disgusting, but you ate it anyway, just because?" She nodded. "That's what it's like. She smells horrific, but it does something to my mind; I can't resist it!"

"Troy, she's from La Push, that's why she smells." she pointed and I shut my eyes, nodding in the process.

"I know." I said. "But she's not a wolf, is she? Oh God, I can't crave a wolf's blood!"

_I would drive on to the end with you_

_A liquor store or two keeps the gas tank full_

_And I feel like there's nothing left to do_

_But prove myself to you and we'll keep it running_

"No." she laughed. "No, she's still human. She knows the legends, but she's not a wolf. I checked her aura. She's a mix between blue, yellow, some pink, but no white."

"Refresh my memory…I haven't memorized the colors of the aura." I smiled.

"Blue means that she's got a balanced life, she's calm and relaxed. Yellow means that she's happy and has a joyful existence. Pink means that's she's found love or she loves someone. There wasn't much in there, but enough to make her a kind person. White means that there's a disturbance in her existence. She has none. Wolves usually have it because there's a difference between their human actions and thoughts when they're in human and wolf form." she said. "She's at peace, and she's a good person, Troy, are you sure she didn't do or think anything to make her angry?"

"No. I didn't even read her thoughts." I answered. "I was too busy concentrating on not losing my cool."

"But you said the voices are like a chorus of thoughts, you didn't hear her voice?" she asked.

"I don't remember." I bowed my head.

_But this time, I mean it_

_I'll let you know just how much you mean to me_

_As snow falls on desert sky_

_Until the end of everything_

_I'm trying, I'm trying_

_To let you know how much you mean_

_As days fade, and nights grow_

_And we go cold_

"It's okay." she smiled, patting my knee. "Do you think you'll be okay to go to school tomorrow? It's Friday."

"Sure." I sighed. "I'll come."

"Good. Are you going to be alright?" she asked and I nodded.

"I have this," I said acknowledging my music, "I have books, and I have you guys. What else could I ask for?"

"Many a thing." she joked. "I'm going into my room for a little while until we have to leave, so if you need anything, just…call!"

"I will." She stood and left, closing the door behind her.

_Until the end, until this pool of blood_

_Until this, I mean this, I mean this_

_Until the end of..._

I crawled back down onto my bed and laid my head on the covers, letting the music flood my mind. There was nothing better than meditating to music.

_I'm trying, I'm trying_

_To let you know how much you mean_

_As days fade, and nights grow_

_And we go cold_

_But this time, we'll show them_

_We'll show them all how much we mean_

_As snow falls on desert sky_

_Until the end of every..._

Visions of a punk Romeo and Juliet came to my mind as the band played this lovely destructive song. It was one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare, next to Macbeth. (Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow).

_All we are, all we are_

_Is bullets I mean this_

The song was drawing to an end, I knew all the words by now. I felt myself disconnect from the chorus of voices until all I could hear was the music.

_As lead rains, will pass on through our phantoms_

_Forever, forever_

_Like scarecrows that fuel this flame we're burning_

_Forever, and ever_

_Know how much I want to show you you're the only one_

_Like a bed of roses there's a dozen reasons in this gun_

I drifted further and further away from reality; this was the closest I would ever get to sleep and it felt amazing.

_And as we're falling down, and in this pool of blood_

_And as we're touching hands, and as we're falling down_

_And in this pool of blood, and as we're falling down_

_I'll see your eyes, and in this pool of blood_

_I'll meet your eyes, I mean this forever_

As the song ended, I marveled in the silence of my mind. It took very deep meditation to silence them all, and this was only the second or third time I've done it successfully. I smiled, hearing only my own blank thoughts until one single voice played in my head.

"_I wonder who he is…I hope he doesn't hate me as much as I've come to believe…"_

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A/N: WOoh! Yeah! So I finally finished a chapter! I'm so sorry I didn't update for a while! Things are INSANE!!!!!!!!!! WOOH!!! lol. I'll try to update soon! please R&R!!!


	7. Chapter 7

"Have you heard from Dave?" I asked my chemistry teacher as he put away the Bunsen burners. "I haven't seen him in over a week. Is he okay?"

"I haven't heard from him, but I checked with the office, and they said that he was out with his family. He's fine, they're doing…something. I'm not sure." he answered and I nodded.

"Thanks." I said and left to go to my next class. Dave was my only "real" friend here. He was my lab partner and we met when I helped him pick up his books. The only way he was different from everyone else, was that he was blind, but only legally blind. He could see, but very badly. That's why I was so worried, but the teacher said he was with family, so I was happy.

As I stepped into the English building, I took one last breath of fresh air. I paused by the door, contemplating leaving, but I decided not to, how could I overcome my own fears and weaknesses without confronting them? So, I stepped inside, sliding off my light _The Used_ Jacket and hung it up on the hook next to everyone else's. She was already there, sitting in the seat next to mine, writing something down in a notebook. As I sat down, she looked up and smiled.

"Hey." she said, and went back to her notebook. I nodded in response and turned to listen as the teacher started the class up. The whole period, I concentrated on things other than her scent, and it worked; I could resist. The only sad part was that every time I thought about not thinking about her scent, I would smell it, and my throat would burn.

Why shouldn't I recognize her scent? It smelled so good, yet so bad all at the same time. If I could get used to it, desensitized almost, I could be normal around her. I sat, content at my decision, and tried not to pounce all period.

My classes passed by slowly. The ones where she joined me I concentrated on accepting her scent, accepting my temptation, and resisting. It was hard, but I managed somehow. When gym came, we played hockey, and when study came, I walked around outside alone. It wasn't raining out, but it was moist and cool. I sat down on one of the picnic benches and took out my notebook and began to draw sketches.

I never really drew anyone in particular, mostly what I could remember from my human life…so long ago. I traced the lead of my pencil over one of the sketches I was working on. It was a portrait of Teri. It was just from her shoulders up, and she was smiling. I wasn't sure if I captured the perfect glint of happiness in her eyes, but I tried.

As I continued to sketch, someone sat down at the other side of the table. They didn't say anything, so I continued to draw, concentrating only on the movements of my pencil. When I finished, I sat up to turn the page, when I felt someone watching me. I knew it was the person on the other side of the table, so I looked up only to be met with the dark eyes of my challenge.

"Sorry." she said timidly, quickly looking down at the paper before her.

"Why?" I asked and she looked back up.

"I was watching you. It was rude of me, I'm sorry." she apologized again and I smiled. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." I said.

"Is it your girlfriend?" she asked curiously. Was it just me, or was there a little bit of wonder in her voice?

"No." I said. "I don't have a girlfriend. It's my mother. I'm drawing it for her birthday."

"Oh." she said, a little happier now. "She doesn't…no never mind."

"What?" I asked. _"Stupid, she's probably not the woman in the office."_ Her voice echoed through my mind. "Where? In the office? Yeah, that's her."

"Oh, sorry." she smiled, blushing.

"Don't be." I replied, shifting in my jacket.

"So…how was your weekend?" she asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Good." I lied, remembering the silence of the woods and the self-loathing that filled it. "Yours?"

"Eh." she shrugged.

"Just…eh?" I asked.

"Yeah." she answered with a laugh. "The reservation had this…ceremony thing. Honestly, I'm tired of it. Every year we have to go down to the beach and listen to Sam and all these other guys talk about the legends. It gets sickening every so often. They talk about them like they're real."

"Well, do you think they're real?" I asked, but she took it as a joke.

"Not really." she answered. "I mean, I guess it probably happened with some really hairy guys and a bunch of albino guys. I don't know. People were weird back then." She laughed. Her laugh was wonderful, sincere. She was one of the only people who didn't shy away from me. Her dark eyes were warm and kind. Behind her light russet skin, a cloud of red flushed her cheeks as she looked down shyly.

I looked back down at my new page in my book. My hands were itching to draw, but what did I have to sketch? Finally, I looked up at her and smiled. She was staring out at something behind me; a building maybe. She looked so content and calm with a small smile on her face. She must have sensed that I was watching, because she looked over at me and the heat rose to her face again.

"Do you mind?" I asked, motioning toward my sketchpad.

"No. Go for it." she said and I smiled, taking one last look at her, and then began to sketch the outline of her face. The bell rang as I started the outline of her lips, and I shut my book. We stood and walked to lunch together.

"Would you mind extra company for lunch?" she asked as she walked to the lunch line.

"Sure. I'll be outside." I said, and walked over to Robert. He was waiting for the rest of his new friends to get out of the lunch line.

"Hey, bro." he smiled as I sat down before him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." I said. "I'm eating with her today."

"Eating?" he asked. I wasn't sure if he was making a joke or being serious.

"Well, she's going to eat." I said. "I did my dining the other night." he laughed. "How about you? How's everything?"

"Surprisingly well." he smiled. "Oh man, she's so awesome!"

"Just awesome?" I asked.

"Way more than awesome! She's smart, funny, talented, oh God!" he went on.

"Nice." I smiled. "Well I have to get outside. That's where I'm meeting her." I said as I got up, but I bumped into one of his friends. Quickly, I turned and caught the carton of milk just before it fell and handed it back to her.

"Thanks…" she said and I nodded, walking away. As I left, I paused to hear her reaction. "Is that your brother?!"

"Yeah." Robert answered. Suddenly, I let out a huge laugh and turned around. "What?" He asked, looking over at me. "You have to stop stalking me and my friends."

"No, I was just remembering yesterday when we fought." I began, bragging a little. "Oh man, you were pinned. And the look on your face: priceless."

"Shut up." he said, slightly embarrassed. _"What the hell?" his voice asked in my head._

"_Just getting revenge for when you told your friends you always win…" I taunted._

"I'll get you tonight." he threatened, pointing with one finger.

"Yeah. Okay." I nodded. The girl before him laughed. "Bye." I turned and left, hearing the playful growl from his chest that no one else could hear. I growled back and we both erupted in laugher.

I pushed the double doors open and stepped outside into the cool air. This was the only place I was able to survive with Maria; at least now. I could still smell her, but it was dulled by the wind and everything around us.

When I sat down at the table, she was already there, looking at a book and munching on a small sandwich. She looked up and smiled, placing the bookmark back into her book.

"Hey." I smiled. "Keep reading, please!"

"No! It's rude." she said.

"Please, I'm going to have my sketchpad out. I think we can both have our guilty pleasures and still enjoy each other's presences." I smiled, pulling out my sketchpad.

"Cool." she smiled back.

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A/N: what did you think? I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! The good stuff is going to start soon!!! So please R&R!! IT would mean the world to me! Thanks!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

"Why are you so happy?" Robert asked me as I ran up to my room, shutting the door in his face. The lock clicked and Robert sighed. "Come on!" he cried.

"No!" I laughed, sitting down on my bed.

"You know I could just break this door down!" he threatened.

"Yeah, but Teri would kill you." I laughed. "Remember the rule: the lock means don't come in."

"Come on, please!" he called.

"_Teri?" I called through my mind. _

"_Yes?" she answered._

"_Can I talk to you?" I asked._

"_Come down here please." she said, and I got up and unlocked the door._

"Yes! What is it?" Robert asked, and I walked right past him and downstairs onto the couch next to Teri. She looked up at me from her book and I smiled.

"_So…there's this girl I like…and I asked her to hang out this weekend." I said. _

"_Is it Maria?" she asked, a smirk on her face._

"…_Yes." I smiled. _

"_She's a nice girl, Troy. But does she know?" she asked and I shook my head no. "Do you think you're going to tell her?"_

"_Not until I know…" I said and she nodded in understanding. "So…can I go?"_

"_Where are you going?" she asked. _

"_The trail that's across the lake from First Beach." I said. "I was good…I convinced her to hike off of the reservation."_

"_Good." she smiled. _

I stood up and walked up to my room, past Robert, and held the door.

"I have a date." I smiled, and shut the door, laughing as I fell onto my bed. The door opened and Robert was grinning.

"You have a date." he smiled as he sat down on the floor. "Spill!"

"Hold on." I said as I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" the voice on the phone asked.

"Hi, Maria? It's Troy." I said.

"Oh, hi!" she said.

"So I was thinking, is Saturday okay for you?" I asked.

"Sure." she said. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm cooking dinner. But yeah, Saturday's great. I'll see you at the entrance of the trail."

"Okay. Bye." I said.

"Bye." she said and we hung up.

"SPILL!" Robert said and I laughed.

"I have a date with Maria." I said and he smiled.

"Well it's about time. You come home wreaking every day!"

"Shut up!" I said, throwing a pillow at him. "She's cool."

"Yeah. She's cool." he smiled. "When?"

"Saturday." I smiled. I couldn't wait.

_Saturday_.

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A/N: so call me mean. It's a teaser chapter. A filler chapter. What every you want to call it! But I already have the date pretty much written out! And believe me, it's going to be great!!!! So please I look forward to your reviews! please! R&R!!! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

The days had passed quietly, as usual, and I was beginning to enjoy school…well, the four classes I shared with Maria. She seemed to be enjoying it too from what I heard of her thoughts. I didn't want to hear her thoughts unless I had to. Peoples' thoughts were always meant to be secret, so why should I break that rule?

It wasn't such a sunny day on Saturday, and for that I was grateful. I ran to the trail and waited for her to pull up in her old, beat up car. When she asked, I said that I had gotten dropped off.

She had her hair loose today, the long, dark strands flowing down the back of her grey shirt. We both wore blue jeans and converse; laughing at the unplanned match. She locked her car, and we began the walk up the trail.

We didn't talk much for the first thirty minutes, but after that, we were comfortable in our silence. I was grateful for the lack of sunshine today. I wasn't planning on telling her that the myths were true stories. Her smell today was more significant, and undiluted, because of the lack of people around us. She smelled so wonderful. I had trained my mind into treating it like her perfume, and it took a lot of temptation and pressure away.

We stopped to eat lunch about an hour later, and I excused myself from eating again. "I had already eaten before." After she finished her sandwich, we sat at the end of a river and talked about different things like school and teachers. We spoke about our interests and I found that we enjoyed a lot of the same things. For instance, many of the bands I listened to she liked also. We both enjoyed books, disagreeing, however, on some by Anne Rice.

After exhausting that topic, we sat again in silence, admiring the lake passing by. Finally, I gathered my confidence and gently placed my hand upon hers. Slowly, she entwined our fingers together. There was a huge contrast between my pale, frozen hands and her tanned warm ones. We laughed nervously at the contrast and blamed it on my "photosensitivity."

We continued walking, still holding hands, when we had gotten to the top of one of the cliffs. We paused for a while and looked out at the view. I felt her grip the back of my shirt and pretend to push me over, shouting:

"Saved your life!" She laughed. As quickly as I could, I pulled her around so she was overlooking the cliff. My hands were wrapped tightly around her waist, making sure she didn't fall.

"Hey!" she shouted, gripping tightly onto my arms.

"Saved your life." I laughed into her ear.

"Funny." she laughed nervously. "Now back off."

"Why?" I asked. We were bout a foot away from the edge now.

"Because we'll die if we fall." she said, pushing back. I pulled her a few steps away from the edge and her tenseness disappeared. Slowly, she leaned her head against my chest. Again, we stayed comfortable in our silence.

A little while later, we were halfway down the trail, when another scent hit my nose. Not too far away, I could hear the heavy breathing and footsteps of some animal. The scent was very familiar, but I couldn't be too sure why.

That's when it finally hit me.

Werewolf.

The steps neared, and soon, even she heard them.

I gazed over to the woods at our right and saw the faint shadow of a werewolf. Its dark eyes met mine, and Maria suddenly froze. Her head turned quickly towards the woods and she took in a sharp gasp. The wolf began to pace closer to us. I could hear Maria's heart speed up as she pressed herself to me in fear. I listened closely to any faint voices in my mind, and finally found one.

I knew it was the wolf's because it was more images than complete sentences.

"…_Leech…" After that, an image of us standing together. "No…" The emotions were stronger than the thoughts, and all I could feel was anger._

Quickly, I disconnected and flew back to the real world.

"Troy…" Maria barely whispered.

"Calm down." I whispered back. I knew it wouldn't attack us. The wolf slowly began to step towards us, crouching as if to pounce. I didn't want to travel back to its mind, it took me away from everything else, and if it came any closer, I wanted to be paying attention.

"Troy…" she whispered, much more afraid. She was frozen with fear. I had to know now, would it try to hurt us, or just scare us?

"_Leech…" it trailed off again. Images of it attacking us flashed through my mind; however I couldn't see anything but that._

"Do you trust me?" I whispered and she nodded. The wolf was only a few feet away now. Quickly, (at vampire speed) I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up and took off running down the trail. As I ran, I slid her in front of me, holding her back and underneath her knees. She wrapped her arms around my neck and looked behind us.

I knew the wolf was there; he was chasing us away. The strangest part was that we were not on the reservation. We weren't on their territory. I had been on this trail so many times…why did they choose to attack now? As we neared the entrance, she gasped.

"Where did it go?" she asked. I froze and looked around. It wasn't behind us anymore. Just then, it jumped out in front of us, blocking our way out. I backed up, gripping her tighter in my arms. The wolf growled, its teeth sharper than I could have imagined. "Troy…" she whispered, tightening her grip around my neck.

"What do you want?" I shouted at the wolf.

"_Leech…why are you here?" it growled._

"_Because I can be. This is neutral territory. I have a right to be here." I shot._

"_No…" it growled._

Slowly, I backed up and began to run through the woods. Maria buried her head into my neck. If I weren't preoccupied with running from the wolf, I would have been concentrating resisting her.

"_We're leaving." I shouted to it, but it didn't listen. _

I kept running until I got to another part of the trail. I followed that until I got to the street. The car was back to my left, so I didn't stop running until the wolf jumped in front of me again. It swiped its paw at me and I fell, but I wouldn't let Maria fall.

We landed so that I was still supporting her. My shoulder was on the ground, a strip of my sleeve was ripped off. I let her scramble away as I jumped up, crouching like I was about to pounce. The wolf growled at me and I growled back. As the wolf stepped forward, another one appeared out of the woods, stepping between us.

"_Get away from them. What are you doing?" the second wolf thought with a growl. _

"_Look!" the first growled back "Leech!"_

"_Neutral territory!" I shouted and they turned to me. _

"_Let's go." the first one said, and they ran back into the woods. _

I turned back to Maria who was still on the ground. She was terrified; her heart was beating at an alarming race.

"Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down next to her.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked as she sat up.

"Maria…I have to tell you something…" I began hesitantly. I knew I had to tell her. Wolves didn't just hunt like that. Especially around here.

"What?" she asked.

"The myths…they're real."

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A/N: so I'm mean…again. But I did what I promised! I gave you their date! I'll update soon! please R&R it means the world to me! Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

"They're real." Maria repeated to herself. She stood by my small shelf of CD's, her eyes avoiding me.

"Yes." I answered. "The cold ones are real, and so are the warm ones."

"Troy, people don't turn into wolves." she fought in disbelief. "It's impossible."

"It's possible." I said. She looked up at me, switching her gaze directly to my eyes.

"How do you know?" she asked. "Why do you know the myths so well? Why are you telling me this?" Her eyes were full of confusion, but on top of that, fear. She already knew. A part of her already knew what I was; what the men on her reservation were. "Tell me."

"I've known them for a while." I answered. She was silent, coming to her frightening realization.

"It's you." she breathed. "That's why you know; because you're one of them. You're a cold one." I stayed silent and still, afraid that even my voice would scare her.

"Is it true?" she asked.

"You already know." I answered quietly. "I'm so sorry."

"And the cold ones…they're vampires, aren't they?" I nodded yes. "The warm ones are…wolves." I nodded again. "I can't believe this! God!" There were no coherent thoughts in her mind, only parts of broken thoughts and images and emotions. Her thoughts were radiating fear and disbelief.

"Are you alright?" I asked, stepping toward her.

"I'm really sorry," she said as she walked to my bedroom door, "I have to go." She sounded like the tears were about to overflow onto her russet cheeks.

"Maria, wait." I called as she stood before the front door. "I'm sorry." She paused and turned slowly.

"Troy…" she began, but never finished.

"Will I see you on Monday?" I asked hopeful and she nodded. Quickly, she walked out the door and drove away. Teri's hand rested on my shoulder as my head bowed.

"It will be alright." she comforted me. "She needs time to process it all. That's a lot."

"I know." I said. "I can't help but to feel like I hurt her." I looked up at Teri. "I can't lose her. I can't, because for some odd reason, she'll take away every ounce of life I have."

"Troy…" Teri questioned.

"No!" I argued. "No…you don't understand. Her blood; it's like a drug to me. It's something about her that, now that I've met and loved, I can't bear to lose." Teri sighed.

"Why don't you go relax." she offered as she led me up the stairs. "That was a lot to deal with." She handed me my sketchbook and smiled kindly.

"Thanks." I mumbled. She nodded and left me alone in my room. I hit the play button on my stereo and shut the door, letting the music fill the room. All of the voices and melodies of every song blurred together as I sat on the floor before my CD's, finishing the sketch that I had began earlier.

It was something like a portrait of her; the one I had began that one day at lunch and never had the inspiration to finish. I let the shade and remains of the pencil stain my white skin as I sketched and shaded, erased and redrew her face. I could never get it perfect; there was always a certain look in her eyes that I did wrong.

It was that look of curiosity mixed in with happiness that I couldn't capture correctly. Honestly, I believed that it was so perfect that no one could capture it right. Before I knew it, I had finished the sketch, listened to every song I owned at least thrice, and it was midday on Sunday.

My thoughts had been blocked and private that whole time, preventing me from hearing anyone other than myself. There was a light knock on the door and I mumbled "come in" as I looked up from my sketch. Robert stood in my doorway, looking worried. I knew Teri had told him everything that happened; after all, she probably heard the whole conversation.

"Hey, bro." he said as he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh." I replied, lying my head down onto the floor.

"I'm sorry." he offered, sitting in front of me. His gazed changed to the portrait I had drawn and, carefully, he picked it up. "That's amazing."

"You think?" I asked. "She's probably the most beautiful person I've ever met."

"She's beautiful, but I meant that you're amazing at drawing. How long did this take you?" he asked. I knew he was trying to make me feel better, and it wasn't working as well as he had hoped, but how could you deny this kid his wish?

"Since she left yesterday to about an hour ago." I answered. "I couldn't get it right."

"You got it perfect." he countered.

"Thanks." I refused to argue now. I sighed, lying back and lip-syncing a few words from the song that was playing.

"Come on, stop moping." he said as he stood up. I could tell he was tired of watching me sulk.

"Never." I joked and a small smile grew on my face.

"Fine." he answered, picking my book up. "I'll just take your crappy drawings and leave you alone." Before I could protest, he was out of my room with my book. I growled and got up to follow him. All I could hear in his mind was laughter.

"Goddamn-it!" I cursed. "Get back here!"

"No!" I heard him call. He was outside now. My book was going to get ruined! In a second, I was down in front of him, ready to fight.

"Give me my book back." I growled.

"I don't have it." he answered, smiling. Sometimes, he could be so freaking immature. "Don't worry, it's somewhere safe." I growled again and he ran away, into the woods. He was going to get it.

I followed him, every so often getting into a small fight, but he really ran fast. Finally, I paused. I couldn't find him. Where the hell did he go? Just then, I heard him laughing from behind a few trees. I chased him down and we began to fight and wrestle, just as we always did. That's when it clicked.

He was doing this to make me feel better.

Damn, I had a cool brother.

I growled again, and we ran and wrestled for the rest of the night until I heard Teri's thoughts searching for us. W

We made our way back to the house and he handed my sketchbook back, thankfully unharmed. I only had about three or four hours until I had to leave for school. Two or three hours until I would see her again.

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: sorry it was a sucky chapter. I've been plagued with a block all week and I'm going insane!!!


	11. Chapter 11

The rain poured down, flooding and soaking everything it hit. It was another typical day in Forks. The sky was a dull grey, leaving everything else practically colorless. I slid my boots on, followed by my black raincoat. Thankfully, I found a waterproof backpack, and slid it over my shoulder. I was not looking forward to today's anxiety. Teri stepped over to the door, calling for Robert to come down, but he wouldn't.

"I don't want to go to school!" he groaned from his room. "I have like ten tests today!"

"You don't even have ten classes!" I shouted back. "Come on, I can't handle today without you. What about Suzanne? Isn't she going to miss you?" Then, I listened into his thoughts and said: _"She's wearing that jean skirt today…the one you love…"_

In a second, he was down the stairs.

"Let's go!" he urged and we ran out into the rain. As we pulled up to the school, students were already walking to their classes, disturbed by the rain. We got out of the car and headed out separate ways.

As I walked into my first class and saw, for the first time in weeks, Dave. He was sitting at our lab table, scanning his fingers over a book. He was reading it.

"Dave!" I said as I sat down next to him, touching his shoulder to let him know where I was. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he answered, turning his head towards me, "I have amazing news."

"What?" I asked.

"My parents found this school for the blind that we can afford. Oh, it's so cool! They have games and this huge library, all written in Brail! Troy, I'm so happy!" His pale, blue eyes roamed around where my face was. He wasn't totally blind, but enough to impair him. I congratulated him as the teacher started the class, instructing us to fill out (yet another) worksheet.

First hour ended, and I was hesitant to leave the building. My next class was with Maria. Would she forgive me, or would she just run away? I know I messed up big time. I should never have even talked to her. It's my fault she has to know this. I left the chem. room and walked to English. Every student was there, but to me, it was empty. She didn't come.

It was the same way for every other class.

I played alone in gym.

I sketched alone in study.

I sat on the dry part of the concrete alone at lunch.

She left. She must have told her parents what I told her. They must think I'm crazy. She must think I'm crazy.

That's how it continued for the next two weeks. She didn't show up to school at all, and I wasn't sure how much I could take; the knowledge that I scared her away was eating me up inside.

I was in English, reading a new book, when the empty seat beside me filled up. I paid it no mind because it was taken by others who needed a different seat, but the moment I inhaled to look normal, my throat combusted in want and thirst.

She was back.

Slowly, I looked up at her, keeping my face calm. She met my eyes and we sat, each waiting for the other to say something. I pulled up all of the confidence I had in me and spoke.

"I'll understand if you want me to stay away." I said, and she shook her head, quietly laughing to herself.

"Cheer up, emo kid." she said and I laughed. "The last thing I want is to stay away from you." I smiled and she smiled back. I could see the faint color of red rise to her cheeks.

Class started, and we "learned".

After my forth hour class, I began to walk quickly towards study where I knew I'd be dry when someone grabbed my wrist. I pulled away out of reflex and turned to see that it was Maria, hiding beneath a folder. She seemed surprised that I pulled away, so I grabbed her hand and we quickly rushed to the library.

"Did I scare you?" she asked as we sat down at a table.

"Not really. I'm not used to people grabbing my hand." I answered and she smiled.

"So…" she began hesitantly, "I want to apologize for that…mishap in the woods."

"It wasn't your fault." I said, taking out my sketchpad.

"It was my brother." she stated and I froze, watching her curiously. "He flipped the moment I walked inside."

"Did he hurt you?" I asked and she shook her head.

"He got so angry, he almost…turned… He was shaking so hard he had to leave for the rest of the night. My dad explained the rest." she said.

"I'm sorry." I said and she shook her head, placing her warm hand on top of mine, rustling the papers of my sketchpad.

"Don't be." she scoffed. "But…would you be okay if I asked you something?"

"Ask me anything." I said and she carefully withdrew her hand.

"You don't…kill…people, do you?" she asked and I laughed so loud, the teacher looked over curiously. Her eyes grew wide and I laughed quietly.

"No." I answered. "Mountain lions." Her head tilted in confusion. "My family and I hunt animals. No humans. Any of…us…who go for humans have red eyes."

"Oh…"

"Is there anything else?" I asked and she looked down at the table shyly.

"My dad didn't tell me much other than you are our enemies." she began. The use of "our" made me wonder, but she didn't seem like she was a wolf. "He said that you had speed and strength and sometimes other powers…is that true too?"

"Yes." I answered.

"What is your power?" she asked and I grinned.

"You'll find out later." I said and she looked at me curiously.

"Later?" she asked.

"Maybe the next time we hang out." I answered and she smiled. Her eyes moved down to my sketchpad.

"Did you ever finish that sketch you started last time I saw you?" she asked and I nodded. "Can I see?"

"I…you…well…it's…promise not to make fun of me?" I asked and she laughed. I opened it to the page with her portrait and slid the book to her. Her eyes widened in amazement as she scanned the page.

"Why would I make fun of you?" she asked as she looked up at me.

"I don't know…because I drew…you?" I said and she reached out, taking my hand.

"It's amazing." she said and I wrapped my cold hands around hers. "Like you." The bell rang and we left for our next class, hand in hand.

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: what'd you think? sorry, I mixed up his grade. troy is a senior, not a junior. I was told that I said he was a junior before. haha. I'll update soon. R&R please! reviews are greatly appreciated!


	12. Chapter 12

_One Week Later_

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I had missed school. The sun was shining brightly, a rare occasion in Forks. The grass had dried from the morning mist, and it felt warm against my icy skin. A warmth, warmer than the sun, gently touched my face. I smiled against the touch, and heard her heavenly laugh. Slowly, I opened my eyes. I could never get over how beautiful she was, especially in the warm sunlight. Her fingers traced the curves of my face as a smile hinted on her lips. I laughed quietly to myself, and she paused.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing." I said. "I thought you were 'enjoying the sun'." I quoted and the smile returned to her face.

"I am." she said. "But I'm enjoying this much better." I shook my head at her and she lay back down next to me in the grass and sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I was told you glittered or what ever, but I never thought it looked as amazing as this." she answered. Slowly, I sat up and crossed my legs. A few times I had moved quickly and scared her. "Tell me what it's like."

"What do you mean what it's like?" I asked again.

"What is it like to never get older?" she asked.

"Exactly what you said: never growing or getting older." I answered. "As the years go by, it is like your mind grows, but your body doesn't. Even at sixty-eight, I move like I'm eighteen. But in my mind, I'm not eighteen. It's hard to explain."

She sighed and I inhaled, taking in as much as her wonderful smell as I could. My eyes shut involuntarily, trying to control the burning in my throat. I opened my eyes, hearing her move slightly. She was sitting in front of me, her legs crossed like mine.

"Why do you do that?" she asked. "Breathe, I mean."

"Breathing gives me a sense of normalcy." I began. "Plus, you smell amazing. I can't get enough of it."

"You mean like my shampoo or something?" she asked.

"No, your blood. Now, wait, don't freak out." I said quickly. "Everyone has their own specific smell, even vampires and wolves. Usually, wolves or people who are near them smell horrific to us and us to them, but you are an exception. The moment you came near me for the first time, I wasn't sure if I would be able to control myself."

"So why don't you find me repulsive?" she asked. "You said wolves smell bad to you."

"I've never met a wolf, let alone smell one." I said. "Teri has. That's why we aren't killing each other."

"What do I smell like?" she asked.

"It's a strange smell." I began. "At first, you burned my throat, like wine, but it was so amazing, I couldn't resist it."

"Like sweet-tarts." she suggested. I looked at her questioningly and she laughed. "Never mind."

"Sweet tarts?" I asked and she smiled.

"It's a candy." she said. I nodded and we sat in silence. "What happens if you eat?"

"When I eat…I've actually never ate food since I was changed. Robert, however…oh man." I laughed.

"I take it didn't go well?" she asked and I laughed again.

"No. We can't…digest the food…so we have to...to put it cruelly…throw up." I said. She smiled, laughing quietly. Slowly, I stretched out my legs and leaned back on my arms. The sun had disappeared behind a few of the clouds for a moment. She turned on her side, facing me.

"You're beautiful in the sun." she said quietly.

"So are you." I said, touching her cheek.

"No." she laughed. "I mean when you shine. It's amazing." I sighed. Slowly, she laid her head on my hest. The beating of her heart increased, and she sat up quickly.

"What?" I asked, worried.

"You have no heartbeat!" she breathed and I dropped my head back to the grass.

"No." I laughed. "No, I don't. None of us do. You seemed so calm with all this; I thought the heartbeat, of lack of, wouldn't scare you. Sorry."

"Why? Don't be. It's not your fault." she said, and lay her head back onto my chest. Slowly, I moved my hand to her back as her fingers wrapped around my other hand. A breeze blew and her amazing smell filled me. My throat burned with the desire of her blood. I lost all sense of rational thought, action, and words. I was high with her smell. I felt myself losing control and, before she knew what happened, I was across the yard.

The branches of the tree above me shaded my skin, but as the wind blew, rays of the warm sunlight reacted with my skin. She sat up and looked around, confused at my sudden disappearance.

"I'm sorry." she said. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. It's me." I said. "remember when I told you how I couldn't resist you in the beginning?" She nodded. "I come close to losing control every so often."

"Oh." she breathed. "I'm sorry."

"Please; sorry is the last thing you should be." I said.

"_Oh no, I wonder if I can do anything." she thought._

"No, there's not." I answered her thoughts.

"What?" she asked. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh…" that's when I realized my mistake. I had answered her thoughts. "You asked if there was something you could do." I said, trying to cover up my mistake.

"No…that's what I was think-" she paused as it clicked in her head. "Is that your.."

"Yes." I said. "I can hear peoples' thoughts."

"What else?" she asked.

"I can project into people's minds." I answered. "If it helps, I try not to listen."

"Do you always listen to me?" she asked.

"As little as possible." I answered. Slowly, I walked back over to her and sat down, a foot away.

"Better?" she asked and I nodded.

"I have to get used to resisting you. I've never met anyone whose scent appealed to me so much." I said.

"Tell me about the voices." she said, and we began laughing.

"It's a never-ending chorus" I explained. "And I can tune them out until it's background noise."

"Hm." she mumbled.

"It's getting late. How about I take you home?" I asked.

"I would feel bad if your mom had to drive me again. I can just call my dad or someone."

"No, I'll take you." said and we stood. "I want you to climb onto my back and hold on tight."

She did so, and we took off running through the woods.

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon! please review!


	13. Chapter 13

The following days in school were the same; boring classes and even worse nights. I wished I could go see her, but I knew that if I crossed the border, I'd be killed in an instant. That's why when I ran her home, I stopped a little before the border and dropped her off. Now, I sat beneath the shade of a tree by the trail where we first came, and waited for the sound of her truck. The sun wasn't out today, even though I was going to be in the woods all day. 

Finally, the sound of her engine neared. Her thoughts were jumbled and hectic, struggling to stay on one idea. Finally, her truck pulled up, and she got out. The moment I saw her, I knew something was wrong. There was a series of bandages from her forearm to her shoulder, and a bruise was forming by the side of her cheek. Her eyes darted away from mine as she smiled half-heartedly, trying to pretend nothing was wrong. 

No matter what I tried, her thoughts were too jumbled and panicked to tell me anything. 

"Hi." I said and she smiled weakly. 

"Hi." She answered, standing awkwardly before me. 

"Come sit." I offered and she sat hesitantly. After a while of silence, I decided to take action. I had to know why she was not herself. I touched the cheek that had no bruise and she flinched so slightly that I barely noticed. "What happened?" I asked cautiously.

"I was walking by some rocks and I fell." she said, her eyes avoiding mine completely. I opened my mind and listened. 

_I was standing, facing a man about twenty or so in a small house. I guessed I was Maria in this situation. He was angry, so much that he was shaking violently. I could make out the words "leech" and "bloodsucker" coming from him. Maria shouted something about "good person", and was that…"love"? The man shook even worse until his skin and clothes began to shed. He transformed into a wolf and swiped at me, sending me flying across the room. Two others rushed him out of the house and helped me up. _

_My vision disappeared and I looked back over at Maria._

"Your brother did this?" it was more like statement. She nodded. Her heart rate became unsteady, and the smell of her salty tears came. She was crying. I wrapped my arms around her and she leaned into my chest, her tears soaking my shirt. I gently stroked her hair and wiped away the stray tears I could catch. "It's okay." I whispered over and over. 

"No it's not." she cried. Slowly, she moved to look up at me. "He's a wolf, Troy; he'll do anything to make sure I'm not with you. He doesn't understand that you and your family are good, that you don't kill people." 

"It's alright." I said. "Listen, I don't have to go near him and I won't cross the border. He should be happy I didn't cross the border."

"Troy, they'll start another war." she fought. "I know about the first war, I've heard the stories." 

"So do I." I said. "Who are_ they_?"

"The pack." she said. "It's my brother, the leader, and four others."

"They have no reason to attack or even start a war now, it'll be fine." I said again. This wasn't working. Even I knew I was lying. Even I knew that my words were not going to change anything. All I knew was that I had to keep her safe, and I had to keep her heart. She took my icy hand in both of hers and stared down at them. 

"My father isn't too happy about it either." she said quietly. "My mother thinks it's wonderful I found someone, but she's very unsure about you."

"Would they be willing to meet?" I asked and her eyes flickered up at me. 

"You want to meet my parents?" she questioned. "Are you crazy?"

"Not just me, I'm sure Teri wouldn't mind being my back-up." I said. "She's got this thing around people…she's calming, very peaceful. She can see peoples' auras." She raised an eyebrow at this and I smiled. 

"Auras?" she asked. 

"Yes." I said. "She told me you weren't just another kid. Too bad I already knew that. There was a lot of caring and love in your aura." She bowed her head, playing with the dim sparkles the sun was producing on my skin. The rest of me was in the shade. 

"I love you." she whispered, looking up at me. 

"I love you too." I answered. "No matter what happens."

She smiled as I leaned in to kiss her on her perfect lips. 

VvVvVvVvV

"Holy crap, Teri!" I shouted, flopping down onto the couch. 

"What?" she asked from the kitchen. I wasn't too sure what she was doing in there. 

"You should have seen her!" I called. "She had a bandage all the way up her arm and there was a big bruise on her face! Her brother did that!"

"Is her brother a wolf?" she asked as she came to sit with me. 

"Yes." I said. A flicker of uneasy showed in her eyes for a moment. "Both him and her father don't want her to even know us."

"Is her father a wolf?" she asked and I shrugged. "Why do I sense there's something else?"

"I suggested that we meet…the families I mean. Me and you, and her family…parents at least." I said. "We'll meet somewhere neutral."

"Sounds good." she said and I watched her questioningly. "I'm serious, but what about Robert?"

"I wasn't counting on him coming, but he can come." I nodded. 

"Is she okay?" Teri asked after a moment. "I know she'll heal, but how is she doing?"

"It's hard, but she's strong. She'll pull through this." I said. Just then, Robert burst through the door with a huge grin on his face. 

"Suzanne's got a license and a car!" he announced, his smile reaching both sides of his face. Teri lowered her head into her hands and I laughed so hard, I fell. 

"Hey, you got some lipstick on your face." I said, smacking him upside the head. 

"Hell yeah!" he laughed and Teri stood up to leave. 

"Why didn't I just save a few well behaved girls?" she asked herself as she walked away, but we caught up. 

"Because you love us!" we said in unison and she wrapped her arms around our shoulders. 

"You two are definitely the best sons in all of history." she said with a sincere smile on her face. 

"Hell yeah!" Robert called again and we all laughed. Us, our imperfect, immortal family. 

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: I'm sorry Maria's sad, her brother's an ass, and everyone is emo (but that's not new for Troy :P) But, I'll update soon hopefully. Please review! I feel sad and emo! lol. oh…and I had my itunes on shuffle, and the song "Being for the benefit of mr. kite" but from the move Across the Universe, and I couldn't help but picture Robert doin that dance. Hah. :) Thanks for reading! 


	14. Chapter 14

"I didn't know you could play the piano." Maria said as she leaned against the back of the upright piano before me. I smiled and placed my hands playfully over the keys.

"Me neither." I joked. "Well, at least until that one album came out…then I fell in love with a song and put myself to work."

"Can you play anything else?" she asked and I shook my head no.

"Unless you count banging your fist as music, then no." I replied. She smiled, a faint blush filling her cheeks as she pushed her hair from her face.

"Can I hear?" she asked.

"So many questions." I scolded jokingly. "Sure."

I listened around to see if anyone was nearby and assured myself that everything was quiet. We were in the band room after school. She had to meet a friend here to pick up some homework the days she missed school. After they exchanged, I couldn't help but to play with the piano.

Gently, I let my fingers glide over the notes I had memorized just a year ago. The sounds of the keys rang out in the tune of a song I had connected with not too long ago.

"I'm not the one that you want, I'll only let you down.

And I'm pretty sure that you've caught on.

And you can say that 'Oh, I'm just feeling sorry for my...

'I think it's every time I walk into a room

a silence so sudden that I seem to hear it

Contact saying that you are the rain on their parade."

I looked up at Maria as I took a breath to continue singing. She had a slight smile on her face as she watched my fingers over the keys.

"And how long could you hang on to a word?

Tell me, how long could you hang on to a word?

I'm not the one that you want, I'll only let you down.

And I'm pretty sure that you've caught on.

And you can say that 'Oh, I'm just feeling sorry for myself'"

From where I sat, I could smell the salty tears emerging from her eyes.

"Or maybe it's all eyes on him

in love with ego and intention

the eyes that are just begging me for more.

This is gone and I can see it

your head is full of words,

full of words that don't mean anything.

And how long could you hang on to a word?

Tell me, how long could you hang on to a word?"

I took a deep breath, and finished the whole thing.

"I'm not the one that you want, I'll always let you down.

And I'm pretty sure that you've caught on.

And you can say that 'Oh, I'm just feeling sorry for myself'

I'm not the one that you want, I'll always let you down.

And I'm pretty sure that you've caught on.

And you can say that 'Oh, I'm just feeling sorry for myself'"

I finished, letting the music fade on its own, and waited in silence. Her warm hand landed on my shoulder and I looked up. As I stood, I took her hands in mine and gazed into her eyes. They were pink and tear-filled, throwing so much guilt onto me.

"I'm sorry." I said, touching her cheek.

"Don't be." She breathed. "It was beautiful." I smiled, lowering my head in gratitude. "But why would you let me down?"

"Everything is against us." I answered. "Every force possible is against us."

"Who cares what people think or want? Who cares?" She took my hands in hers, her gaze turning fierce. "I love you, Troy. I do. And no matter what wolf, what vampire, or what ever else decides to interrupt us, I always will."

"I love you too." I answered. We stood like that, staring into each other's eyes for a while until a knock sounded on the door. It was Teri.

"_Time to go."_ she thought and I nodded. She left for the car and I returned my attention back to Maria.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I always seem to get lost in your eyes." she answered, laughing slightly.

And that's when I realized two things:

One; I needed to learn the guitar…"I caught fire in your eyes" by The Used was calling.

And…

Two; I was in love.

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: Sorry it was a little filler, but I thought of it tonight and couldn't resist. The song btw is "Intensity in Ten Cities" by Chiodos. I suggest them highly! Wooh! I hope to update soon with the meeting…and possibly…dinner? Wait and see!! please review! I feel lonely!


	15. Chapter 15

"I didn't know leeches could be so nice

"I didn't know leeches could be so nice." Maria's brother mumbled as he took a sip of his soda. He placed his huge hands back on the table and sat quietly.

"Jason, be nice." his mother scolded and I grinned internally. The table was silent, awkwardly silent. Maria's mother, Christina, and Teri stirred their coffees gently. Jason, Maria's brother, played with his soda, every so often taking a sip. Maria and I held hands beneath the table, both of us fidgeting every so often. Robert, of course, stared at his soda puzzled. Every so often he would lean over, take a sniff and I would mentally warn him not to drink it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the waitress came with "our" food. Jason got the biggest platter possible and immediately began eating, even before it reached the table. Each of us in my family ordered something tiny like fries or, in Teri's case, just coffee. Maria ordered some fries and ate them delicately, trying not to make so much noise, just like the rest of us.

"_Teri, please say something! This is driving me crazy!"_ I said to Teri through her thoughts.

"So, Christina," she began, "I feel so bad bringing up a very hazy topic, but I would like to speak about our children and their relationship." Thank God she was a good speaker.

"In all honesty, now that I see you guys, I have no problem with it. I had no problems from the start. Some people," she glared at her son, "judge."

"It's alright, I'm sure everyone would. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be protective."

"Wait," her brother interjected, "you guys seem cool, but I'm getting the feeling that something's up…"

"Jason," I began, "our eyes are hazel for a reason. We are…vegetarians. We have been that way since we were created."

"The treaty holds you to it." he threatened, taking a bite of his hamburger.

"Yes it does, but that's not the only reason why I haven't left your sister." I replied. The table fell silent again as everyone lowered their heads and ate. Suddenly, a strange noise interrupted all of our thoughts and we looked up and laughed. Robert was blowing bubbles in his full glass of soda.

"What?" he asked. "I can't drink it? Why not…blow bubbles?"

"Robert," Teri warned, "Don't give us away."

"Yes, us secret agents, the foreign spies from…RRRRussia." I joked and everyone giggled. I squeezed Maria's hand beneath the table and her tension released.

"Teri, may I ask a question?" her mother asked and Teri nodded. "I've heard about powers you may have. Do you have any?"

"Yes." she answered. "I can see people's auras. They tell me if they are good or bad people and with what kind of intentions they have."

"How about you?" Christina asked Robert. He shook his head.

"I have none other than my amazing looks." he smiled and I punched his arm lightly. We laughed together, making everyone else join in.

"Do you have one, Troy?" she asked and I nodded.

"I can read people's thoughts and speak to them through their thoughts also. It's kind of like a walkie-talkie, only stranger." I said and entered her thoughts. _"Like this."_

"Oh…" she said nervously.

"However, I really never listen to people's thoughts except when I think they have bad intentions." I added and she smiled.

We continued the lunch with other small conversations, some of them about our lives and school. About two hours later, we left the diner and drove home.

As Maria and I got into her car, she fiddled with the radio until everyone else drove away. Finally, when she was sure we were alone; she fell back into her seat and sighed. I could see the nerves and tension leave her body as she took a breath.

"Are you okay?" I asked and she nodded.

"Yes. Just glad that's over." she answered, opening her eyes.

"It went well." I added as she started the car and began to drive. I flipped through the radio stations until I realized that we were not going towards her or my house.

"Maria?" I asked. "Where are we going?" She only grinned in reply. "Don't make me read your thoughts…" After a moment of no answer, I opened my mind.

"_I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world; it's fantastic, life in plastic!"_ She was saying the words to the song on the radio in her head. That little sneak figured out how to fool my power!

"Don't make me start singing." she threatened and I laughed.

"Come on, Barbie, let's go Barbie!" I added to the lyrics and she replied with a fit of laughter. "Please tell me where we're going." I asked again.

"I'm taking you to a cave where I'm going to rape and murder you." she replied and I laughed.

"You can't kill me." I teased and she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes I can." she growled playfully.

"How?"

"I have my ways." she replied with a grin.

"We'll have to see about that." I said and she smiled. We continued driving for a few more minutes when we stopped. We were in the woods on a dirt road. As she looked around, I noticed a small trail to the side of the road. Apparently she did too, and she pulled the truck onto it, driving until we reached the edge of another cliff. She shut off the car and got out, carrying a big blanket with her.

"I get it." I mumbled as she climbed into the back of her truck and lay down the blanket. I followed her, gently wrapping my arms around her. She snuggled tightly into my chest and quickly pulled away. "You forgot that I had no heartbeat, didn't you?"

"No, are you going to be okay this close?" she asked.

"I'm fine." I answered. "I already hunted."

She grimaced as she snuggled back into my chest.

And there, together, we watched the sunset until the stars were out. She yawned and shivered at once, so I moved to get the blanket. As I pulled it around her, she pulled me closer, pushing her lips against mine.

**A/N:** So that's the end of this lovely chapter. Sorry it sucked. lol. I'll try to update soon, but being in a class where the teacher says: "be inspired and write a story", it's hard to write for fun. :P So please review!! thanks!!


	16. Chapter 16

It had to be around eleven o'clock that night when I noticed something was wrong

It had to be around eleven o'clock that night when I noticed something was wrong. We were still in the back of Maria's truck, the blanket wrapped gently around her, watching the stars. She had drifted off a few minutes before, leaving me to the peaceful silence of the night. Maria shifted her head and gently, I stroked her hair out of her face. As my fingertips touched her face, they burned. She was warmer than usual. What was going on?

She stirred again and slowly woke up. Her face was contorted into a look of nausea and pain. She placed her hand up to her forehead and pushed the covers away, groaning in the process.

"What's wrong?" I asked and she moaned.

"Troy, I'm not feeling good," she answered.

"You don't look to well, come on, I'll take you home," I offered and she nodded, climbing weakly out of the truck and towards the driver's seat. "No, I'll drive."

"Troy…"

"No, get in the truck." I demanded and she did, curling up onto the seat. I placed my hand onto her forehead and cringed; she was really warm, warmer than usual.

"That feels good." she groaned. "I'm so hot."

"Are you going to be sick?" I asked and she shrugged. "Okay, I'll take you home."

I began driving back down the dirt road and paused at the stop sign. That's when I realized that if I passed the boundary line, the war would start. She would have to take over from there. No! I couldn't let her do that! She's too sick!

"Maria, give me your cell phone." She handed it over and I searched through her contact list until I found her mother's number. I hit send and waited.

"Hello?" a groggy voice asked.

"Is this Christina, Maria's mother?" I asked.

"Yes…who is this?" she asked.

"This is Troy, her friend. She's not feeling to well and I know I can't cross the line, but she's not healthy enough to drive and-"

"I'll meet you there in a minute." The line went dead and I handed the phoneback to Maria. When she didn't take it, I realized that she was sleeping. That was a good thing. I kept driving until I reached the boundary line where her mother was waiting for us, her arms crossed uncomfortably over her chest. I stepped out of the car and met her mother.

"Sorry to disturb you so late, but I didn't want to cause any trouble." I said and she nodded.

"It's okay. Thank you for caring." she said, do you know what's wrong with her?"

"No, she's really warm and nauseous." I answered and she nodded.

"Thank you." she said as she climbed into the truck.

"Will you let me know how she is?" I asked.

"Sure." she responded, speeding away down the dirt road towards the reservation. I watched until the truck disappeared and turned to run home.

What was wrong with her?

A/N: yep, it sucks, I know, but bare…bear…with me…loll. idk. I'll try to update soon!! Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17

It had been at least a month since I had seen her. Was she sick all this time, or did she…I didn't even want to think about it. Her parents would never tell me…the vampire. I shivered from the thought as a breeze blew the light rain into my face. Quietly, I sighed. Robert glanced over at me through the window of the lunchroom, too fast for any of his friends to see.

"_What's wrong, bro?" _he asked.

"_I miss her like crazy."_ It was true, I was so…empty. I never realized how much I cared about her.

"_Damn, bro, it's more than a crush, isn't it?"_ Robert asked.

"_Yeah,"_ I said, sighing internally.

"_I can feel your emo-ness from here," _he laughed out loud by accident and a few of his friends' thoughts ran through my head.

"_Careful, Robert," _I warned and he sighed internally. _"The bell is going to ring soon."_

"_I know. I might skip gym, it's another inside bleacher day."_

"_Sounds good, do you want to walk around? I was planning on skipping my next class too,"_ Robert asked.

"_Sure."_ The bell rang and he separated from his friends to find me. I heard him coming up behind me, but I didn't turn to look. His hand fell onto my shoulder and I turned to see my brother's face.

"Hey," I said as I sat down on one of the picnic benches.

"So…" he began, trying to make conversation. Was I really that pathetic? "Yes you are."

"What?" I asked and he laughed.

"You projected that last question into my head," he pointed to his temple with a smile, "You must really be off."

"I know. I have to be careful." I paused for a moment. "I'm thinking about just ditching the rest of the day to go for another small hike. What do you think?"

"Sure. Sounds fun. Do you know where you're going?" he asked and I nodded.

"Then it's a deal. Let's go tell Teri." I said and we made our way to the office building.

VvVvVvVvV

The weather was a light mist, as usual, but it didn't bother us. We were silent as we trecked comfortably through the woods starting behind our house. We could use a little hunting and fun.

It was too quiet in these woods, even if I still had voices echoing through my mind. So, I asked a question that I would soon regret.

"So how's the girl?" I asked and Robert began his speech. I listened to his stories and laughed as he described the classic awkward moments that every couple has in the beginning of a relationship. He went on for a while until he decided to stop when we had reached the stopping point; the border to Canada.

"Do you smell that?" he asked and I nodded. Something must have been decaying, but why did it smell so familiar? Just then, thoughts began running through my mind. The kind of thoughts that were not mine.

"She's here." Robert turned just as I did and stepped back in a defensive stance. There were three werewolves standing to our right with one other human there behind them.

"I am looking for Troy," the human said. He was naked save for a pair of gym shorts. His hair was shoulder length and silky black, damp from the misty rain. As he spoke, his chest tightened with authority. He was either really cocky, or he was the pack leader.

"You're Sam," I said, stepping slightly ahead of Robert.

"Yes, and I'm assuming that you are Troy?" he asked and I nodded.

"Where is Maria?" I asked, my teeth grinding in frustration. His glance flittered to one of the smaller wolves and back to my eyes so quickly that no human would have seen it. I looked over at the small wolf towards the end and my eyes widened. "What happened to her?"

"She's one of us now," Sam said, puffing out his chest. Slowly, I began stepping toward the small wolf that was Maria. She stepped back defensively as the other two wolves barred their teeth. Gently, I reached my hand out to stroke the fur on her head and the two wolves flinched, but did not move.

"_No."_ Sam's voice echoed through my head as he spoke to his small pack.

"Maria?" I asked and she nodded, nuzzling up to my hand. I knelt slowly to her level and listened in on her thoughts. _"I've missed you."_

"_I've missed you too." she replied. "They won't let me off the reservation by myself. I meant to stop by…but-"_

"_No, don't worry. I understand," I said, "you need to be in control before you can go anywhere by yourself."_ Beside me, someone cleared their throat. I looked up at Sam, raising my eyebrows in annoyance.

"We would like to hear what you are saying," he growled and I scoffed.

"_It's private,"_ I said into his mind. His eyes illustrated momentary surprise, but his body gave nothing away. _"I want to see her."_

"You are," he argued rudely.

"_In person." My thoughts hit him like venom. "Human form."_

One of the wolves growled and I stood up, staying beside Maria protectively.

"Let's go," Sam ordered, turning away. The two wolves followed him, but Maria stayed behind.

"_I'm so sorry," she thought, lowering her head. _

"_Don't be." _I knelt back down, kissing her gently on the head. She wrinkled her nose and licked me across the cheek. A growl could be heard from behind her and her thoughts sent me an unbearable sense of obedience she could not betray. _"I love you."_

"_I love you too," she replied, growling playfully._ Quickly, she turned around and followed the pack into the woods. _"I will see you soon."_ Quietly, I smiled to myself.

"What was that all about?" Robert asked. I had almost forgotten him.

"She's a wolf and Sam hates me." I explained and he sighed.

"God," he sighed, walking in the opposite direction, "Talk about Romeo and Juliet."

"Never was there a tale of such woe…" I trailed off, following him back into the woods.

Some part of me, and I did not know which, told me that I would see her soon. There was no doubt about it.

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: Jeeze. Sorry about the long wait…but its not like a lot of you actually read this. :P I'll try to update…and I need opnions!!! PLEASE R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!


	18. Chapter 18

"_So, keep my casket closed,_

_your heart beats under the floor,_

_it haunts me in my dreams…_

_and nothing's as it seams…"_

The lyrics enveloped me, sending all other senses away. I could barely even feel the softness of my bed beneath me. I was waiting, but for what, I did not know. All I knew was the feeling of some impending and inescapable occurrence.

"_Halleluiah…"_

A sudden contact on my shoulder pulled me rapidly out of my meditation, and I jumped up involuntarily in fright. Before me, stood Teri. She held the phone out to me with a look in her eyes I had never seen before.

"Maria…" She mumbled quickly, handing me the phone. I tried to read her thoughts, but nothing came to me. What was going on?

"Hello?" I asked, holding the phone to my ear. Her frantic voice answered.

"Troy?" She called, "Troy, it's Maria."

"What's wrong?" I asked, listening carefully to anything I could hear in the background.

"I didn't want to get you involved, but they're chasing me and I don't know what to do!" She was crying. "They're angry because I won't do what they tell me. I don't want to leave you, Troy!" What was I going to do? I didn't want to start another war, but more importantly, I didn't want Maria to be hurt.

"Where are you?" I asked, a plan coming to mind.

"I'm almost at the border near the dirt road we usually meet at."

"I'll meet you at the road," I said, "I just need you to get over the border, okay?"

"Troy, please, I don't want you hurt!" She cried.

"I'll be fine," I assured her, "Just get over the border."

"I can do that." She sounded confident. She was always good at hiding her emotions. However, I could still hear the fear in her voice.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too," she answered, sniffing away her tears.

I hung up and jumped out the window, sending a message to Teri. I didn't want her to follow me. I ran faster than I had ever ran as I made my way towards our dirt road. I could smell her, but I couldn't see her. I paused a short distance away from the road and watched as she emerged from the trees, followed quickly by a pack of wolves.

I ran.

As I passed the wolves, I scooped Maria up into my arms and began to run back the way I came. The salty smell of her tears mixed with her unique scent, but the smell of leaking blood reached my nose and I cringed. I had to control myself.

By the time we had reached the woods near town the scent of the pack had dissipated. We were alone. I opened my mind as I slowed my speed and listened to the sounds of the wolves' thoughts.

"_Let…them…go…" they began, followed by growls of disapproval. _

"…_soon…" The vision of me and Maria flashed through their minds, followed by an audible set of howls. _

I slowed to a stop and gazed down at Maria. Her head was buried into my neck and her arms were wound tightly around my neck. I knelt down in the grass, letting her lay gently in my lap. She was breathing heavily and soon, her tears began to fall down my neck.

"Maria?" I asked quietly, but she didn't answer. "Maria?" Gently, I stroked her hair, holding her closer to me. "Maria, are you alright?" Slowly she looked up at me. Her tears had flushed her dark skin, but that was not the first thing that caught my attention. Across her cheek, was a cut which leaked the most beautiful crimson I had ever seen. Her eyes reached mine and within a moment, she was four feet away, covering her cut with her shirt. Her eyes were wide and mouth was slightly open, allowing her sweet breath to blow towards me.

"I'm sorry…" she breathed, turning away. She gazed down at her bloodstained shirt in thought and sighed. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be," I began, "It's alright. It took me by surprise, that's all."

"No, I could care less if you bit me. It's better than what they had planned for me," she said, looking back up at me. Slowly I rose and stepped towards her.

"I would never do that." She smiled, taking my hand. She looked at me curiously, unsure of something. I didn't want to go into her mind to find out. Suddenly, she jumped on me, wrapping her arms around my waist. She had never hugged me like this before, and it felt like I was protecting her, like she trusted me with her life.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed as I wrapped my arms around her.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," I said, "But we need to get somewhere safe."

"We can't go to your house, that's the first place they'll go," she said, holding back tears.

"Then we'll go some place else," I said, looking at the building beside us. She looked over and laughed.

"Strange, huh? It's the one place we spend the most time," she laughed and I nodded.

"Let's go," I smiled, and we ran, hand in hand, to the closest building. I twisted the door handle until it gave in and pushed the door open, allowing us entrance to what we realized was the English department. We chose a classroom on the other side of the hallway and broke the lock once again in order to gain entrance. I let Maria in, and opened a few lockers in search of a jacket or two.

When I entered the classroom, she was sitting on top of a desk, flipping through a book. Her eyes wandered blankly over the words as her fingers flipped from page to page.

"How long were you running for?" I asked, shutting the door. She placed the book back on the desk and stood.

"Since last night." she said, pushing her messy hair back.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked and she shook her head. "You need sleep."

"I'm fine," she argued, but I raised an eyebrow as she stifled back a yawn.

"Sleep, love," I argued and she smiled, taking the jackets from my hand. Silently, she moved towards the back of the room, laying down on the floor with the jackets wrapped around her.

"Really, I'm fine," she argued, but I glared at her playfully and she shut her eyes.

I laughed, picking up the book from the desk and glancing at the cover. Quietly, I began to recite.

"Never was there a tale of such woe…"

"Then of Juliet, and her Romeo…"

A smile played on her face as she drifted to sleep.

Ah, the irony.

VvVvVvVvV

A/N: YAY!!!! okay, I need opinions. what do you think should happen to them????


	19. Chapter 19

It was a dangerous chance we took, staying in the classroom. About six hours had passed since we had arrived and Maria was just waking up from her nap in the back of the room. Her tired eyes traced blankly around the room as she wandered out of the room, looking down the hallways curiously.

"Can you open a bathroom?" she asked and I nodded, finding the first girls room and popping the lock open. I turned around and saw that she was rummaging through some person's locker.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"A brush," she answered, pulling one out in success. "Thanks."

"Any time," I smiled as she disappeared into the bathroom. I ignored the voice in my mind which were her thoughts and wandered down the hallway and to the exit door. Nothing was outside other than the trees; we were safe for now. They were probably waiting for us to feel safe enough to leave. After a moment, I wandered back into the classroom and began searching the cabinets.

"I can feel them waiting," Maria said as she made her way through the door. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a few strands hanging down beside her cheeks. She looked ready to fight if she needed to.

"So can I," I replied, sitting down at one of the desks with a piece of paper and a pen. "I think they're waiting for us to feel safe enough to leave."

"Me too," she sighed, sitting next to me, "Sam's not that dumb, he's great when it comes to attack strategies, but he's practically incompetent when it comes to dealing with people, especially emotional people."

"So basically he can't deal with society," I joked and she nodded, laughing quietly.

"Do you think we'll get in trouble for crashing here?" she asked, wandering up to the chalk board.

"Only if we get caught." She nodded, peering out the window. We stayed silent as I began to scratch my pen across the paper.

"What are you writing?" she asked, walking towards me.

"Nothing, just some random stuff," I replied, pausing in my writing. She nodded again and began to rummage through the cabinets. She pulled out a book, sat down, and began to read.

We passed about two or three hours like that, her reading and me writing. Every so often, one of us would check the window, but every time, there was no one to be seen. I would have known if someone was there; Maria's scent was overwhelming, but I knew how to separate scents.

I sent messages to Teri and Robert every so often, keeping them up to speed. They knew not to come to the school, and both of them could smell the wolves patrolling around the house, even if they could not be seen. They were looking for us, but for some reason could not find us. Maybe they lost our scent, or maybe they were just waiting for something else.

"Can you feel them?" Maria asked, breaking the silence.

"Sort of," I replied, "you?"

"It's like Sam is commanding me to phase, but he feels so far away," she admitted. "I've been thinking about phasing, just to get an idea of what they're doing."

"Don't, they'll be able to tell where you are, even if you shut your eyes," I said, and she nodded.

"I know that, but we can't stay here forever…it's Sunday." Her voice sounded hopeless now, but I knew she was not going to give up.

"You're right," I nodded, folding my completed paper and printed Teri's name on the front.

"They're doing something…" she said, standing up, ready and alert.

"How far?" I asked and she shook her head.

"I don't know, I can't tell." She wasn't as experienced at being in wolf form to be able to tell their exact movements. "Soon, really soon…"

"Maria…" I began and she cut me off.

"Go ahead, I trust you," she said and I nodded. I opened my mind and her thoughts and emotions rushed into me. I sorted through the recent memories and anxiety and found what the wolves thought I could never find. In the wolf part of her mind, images of the pack came to life. They were close…too close.

"Soon," I said, shutting my mind again.

"I know," she answered, "I could see what you were looking at." Slowly I got up and took her hands in mine.

"I love you," I said, stepping closer to her.

"I love you too," she replied, "no matter what happens." Gently, she kissed me, placing her hand on my chest. We moved closer together, kissing quickly, as if we both knew there wasn't much time left. I paused, feeling something send chills down my icy skin. Our lips parted as the scent of wolves overtook me.

"Maria…" someone called tauntingly as the door down the hallway slammed shut. Her eyes filled with fear as she grasped my hand tightly. We stayed frozen still as I searched my mind for any voices I could hear, but none appeared. They figured it out…they knew how to block out my power. "Maria…I know you're here…" She bit her lower lip in fright as she swallowed back tears.

"Troy…" she whispered, barely audible, "I'm scared…"


End file.
